Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 4)

Book Update:
    The book I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. I have read 402 pages of this book so far. So far, it is about Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their third year at Hogwarts, trying to save Hagrid's pet, Buckbeak, and exploring the mystery of Sirius Black. Currently, Harry and Hermione are trying to reverse time and save both Sirius Black and Buckbeak.

Characterization:
    The people that have influenced Harry Potter the most are his parents. They were killed by Voldemort when he was just a baby. Harry wants to make them proud because they died for him. Their death also makes him want to find out the truth about Voldemort and defeat him.

Characterization 2:
    I think my friends would like Sirius Black because he seems like a very loving godfather to Harry. He offers to let Harry stay in his house, which would be way better than living at the Dursleys. He also comes to check on Harry at Hogwarts in the form of a black dog. Sirius Black also stayed true to himself, and didn't turn evil, even when everyone thought he was evil.

Setting:
    In the book, the story takes place in what seems to be current times. It could also take place in the 90's. This time period is similar to the time period I live in because we also have TV's and buses. Both time periods have relatively happy feelings.

Conflict
    A conflict that Harry is facing is trying to decide whether Sirius Black is evil or not. Sirius has been portrayed on the news as a very dangerous criminal, but now he is asking Harry to listen to him. 

Connection:
    An issue that was raised in this book is whether to trust magic or not. Professor Trelawney says many things about the future that some students, and even Dumbledore are skeptical of. I have seen this issue raised in real life because some people believe in fortune tellers and some think they are just crazy. It's up to us to decide what we believe in and be accepting of others.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 3)

Book Update:

    The book I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. I have read 339 pages of this book so far. So far, it is about Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione navigating their third year at Hogwarts. Harry plays on the Quidditch team, helps Hagrid prevent his pet from execution, faces evil dementors, and deals with peculiar teachers, all under the looming threat of Sirius Black coming after him.

Characterization:

 I would like to interview Hermione Granger.

1.  Why do you take so many subjects?

         I want to ask her this because she is so overloaded with homework and classes, and I want to know why she does that to herself.
2.  How do you get to all your classes on time?
        I want to ask her this because throughout the story, we learn that Hermione sometimes has two classes scheduled at the same exact time, and somehow makes it to both of them.
3.  How did you feel when Harry and Ron stopped talking to you?
        I want to ask her this because when Harry and Ron started staying away from Hermione because they thought her cat ate Ron's mouse, we didn't really get to see what Hermione was doing because the story follows only wherever Harry goes.

Characterization 2:
    
    If Harry Potter was a girl instead of a boy, she would be Harriet Potter. Harriet would be much closer to Hermione and they wouldn't have fought as much as Harry and Hermione. Harriet might have also had a better childhood because Dudley might have not teased and tortured her as much as he did to Harry. Snape might have also hated her less because she wouldn't look like James Potter(who Snape hated) as much.

Setting:

    If the characters were placed into our present, the story would be different in many ways. First of all, the secret Hogwarts castle wouldn't be so secret because students would post pictures of it from their phones. Also, students might use online textbooks and computers in their classes. Teachers might also have to punish students for using their phones in class.

Conflict:

    Harry is about to make the decision to fight Sirius Black after he finds out that he was actually the black dog he has been seeing. The advice I would give him would be to listen to what Black has to say before trying to attack him. Anyway, he wouldn't be able to kill Black because he is older, taller, and more experienced at magic than Harry.

Connection:

    If I could, I would jump into the story when Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave dinner to go to Hagrid's house. I would watch them closely because the three of them escape Hogwarts castle often. I would follow them and ask them where they were going, and that might have stopped them from going to Hagrid's house and being pulled into the Whomping Willow. This would prevent them from having a confrontation with Sirius Black.

  

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 2)

    The book I am writing about this week is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. I have read 241 pages of this book so far. So far, it is about Harry and his friends in their third year at Hogwarts, learning new subjects and fearing Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner coming to Hogwarts. Harry also faces dementors, who make him hear his mom's voice the day she died and cause him to pass out.
   Two characters in my novel are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They are good friends who are both studying at Hogwarts. They are in the same house, Gryffindor, so they are in all the same classes. I know they are good friends because they are always talking after classes. Also, they go shopping for supplies and spell books together before school starts.
    The story uses third person limited narration. We know about Harry's thoughts and feelings and he is the character that we follow throughout the story. We always know where Harry is, and the story only narrates things that are in his proximity or things that he knows. We don't know anything Harry doesn't know. The narrator is very thoughtful, and we clearly know how Harry is feeling at all times, allowing us to understand the story well.
    A main location in the story is Hogwarts. This is where almost all of the main plot happens. Hogwarts is important to Harry because he never had a home where he felt comfortable and happy. The Dursleys were always tormenting Harry and hated him, so Hogwarts is like an escape where he can be himself.
    An obstacle that Harry faces is falling off his broom during Quidditch because he sees dementors. This affects Harry going forward because he is frustrated that the dementors cause only him to have this reaction. When the dementors come near Harry, he feels "as though freezing water were rising in his chest, cutting at his insides." All this frustration makes Harry very determined to beat the dementors when Professor Lupin gives him lessons on how to ward them off.
    A part of the story that I liked was when Harry went through a secret passage to Hogsmeade. Fred and George Weasley had given him a map that showed the secret parts of Hogwarts, and Harry wanted to see what Ron and Hermione were doing in Hogsmeade. I enjoyed this part because I was wondering how there could be a passage from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade and I was wondering if Harry would get caught or not. It was also fun to read about all the shops and food in Hogsmeade, and I found myself wanting to go there.
 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 1)

    The book I am writing about this week is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. It is about Harry Potter and his friends in their third year at Hogwarts, dealing with new classes and and a new Defense against the Dark Arts professor. There is also a mysterious criminal who has escaped from Azkaban named Sirius Black, who is expected to show up at Hogwarts. So far, I have read 143 pages of this book so far. I chose this book because I have been reading the Harry Potter series and I wanted to continue it. I think I will continue to read this book and write about it.

The main character of the story is Harry Potter. His parents were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort when he was two and he lives with his uncle and aunt, who hate him. He is kind, brave, and loyal to his friends. He is also very good at Quidditch, and plays on the Gryffindor quidditch team.

The antagonist of the story is Sirius Black, the escaped prisoner from Azkaban. Although Harry has not met him in person yet, he seems to be after Harry. Harry overhears the Weasleys talking about Black and how he wants Harry dead. Another possible antagonist could be the dementors, who are looking for Sirius Black, but make Harry faint. Harry is scared of these dementors.

One setting in the book is Hogwarts, a wizarding school. This is where Harry learns how to be a wizard and faces many enemies. At Hogwarts, there are many subjects that young witches and wizards learn, like Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination. There are also 4 houses of students, which compete for points. They are Gryffindor(Harry's house), Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Another setting in the book is the Dursley house, which is where Harry was forced to grow up. The Dursleys hate anything to do with magic, so they lock Harry's wizarding books away for the summer. They are always looking down on him and are embarrassed of him.

A conflict Harry faces at the beginning of the book is when Aunt Marge comes to visit the Dursleys. When they are eating dinner, Aunt Marge starts saying insulting things about Harry's parents, like that they are lazy and left Harry as a burden to the Dursleys. His anger unexpectedly causes Aunt Marge to blow up like a balloon and float. Uncle Vernon, horrified, gets angry at Harry, who is nervous because he is not allowed to do magic over the summer. He grabs his trunk, runs out of the house, and escapes the Dursleys.

I liked when Harry and his classmates were in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, with their new teacher, Professor Lupin. He tells them to turn their worst fears into something that they found funny. This part of the story was very entertaining to read, because I could imagine the Boggart transforming rapidly into these different figures.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(Round 5)

    The book I'm writing about today is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling. I have finished the book. So far, it is about Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione trying to figure out who the heir of Slytherin is and why they are attacking students at Hogwarts. In the section I read this week, Harry goes into the chamber of secrets and figures out that the Basilisk, a giant snake, was the one turning students to stone. Also, Harry finds Tom Riddle, who is essentially a younger version of Voldemort, and fights him.
    I would be enemies with Draco Malfoy, a student in Slytherin at Hogwarts who doesn't like Harry and his friends. I would be enemies with him because he is always acting rude and entitled. He thinks he is above everyone just because his family is pure bloods. He also calls people degrading names like 'mudblood' because their parents aren't wizards. He would impact my life because I would stand up to him when he bullies people, making him hate me.
   A character that is different from Draco Malfoy is Harry Potter. He is kind, determined, clever, and wants to help his friends. He seems realistic because he deals with problems like abuse from the Dursleys despite being a famous wizard. Harry also struggles to navigate all the attention he gets for being a famous wizard. He lies sometimes, but that is justified because he is doing it for the greater good, and to save Hogwarts from danger.
    I think that the author did a good job with world building in the book. The world of magic and Hogwarts seems very believable. The author does well with explaining how wizards and Muggles coexist in this world, for example platform 9 3/4, which only wizards know how to get to. The system of school at Hogwarts is also very well explained. We learn how a typical day at Hogwarts goes, how it looks inside, and what students do in each class.
    I think the conflict is very ominous and interesting. I think it is resolved very well at the end when Fawkes the phoenix comes back to help Harry. I liked the story about Tom Riddle and his diary, and how Harry and his friends slowly found out more and more until everything about him was revealed at the end. The conflict wasn't resolved too quickly, and it was truly challenging to the characters to solve.
    I would recommend this book to my 16 year old cousin. She likes reading fantasy books, but she hasn't read Harry Potter yet. She also likes watching movies involving magic, so I think she would love reading Harry Potter.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(Round 4)

    The book that I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling. I anm 303 pages into the book. So far, is about Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione in their second year at Hogwarts, trying to figure out who is attacking students and petrifying them, all while Hogwarts is in danger of closing. They are also trying to find out who is the heir of Slytherin, who will open the Chamber of Secrets and get rid of Mudbloods.
    Being a muggle-born has influenced Hermione the most. This could make her feel inadequate and insecure. She might feel the need to prove herself constantly, which is why she studies so hard. It motivates her to improve her intelligence and grow in her magical capabilities. This motivating influence is changing her by making her okay with breaking rules so that she can use her knowledge to figure out who is attacking students at Hogwarts.
   A character my friends would hate is Draco Malfoy. He is constantly being rude and bullying other people. He makes fun of Ron, saying he is poor and that all the Weasleys live in one room. He is basically racist, because he makes fun of people just because their parents aren't wizards. He calls Hermione a mudblood, a highly offensive term and he wishes death on her when the attacks at Hogwarts are happening. My friends would not like a person who hates people because of something that they cannot control.
    In the story, Diagon Alley is similar to Santana Row in real life. They are both outdoor streets with stores lining the sides. In some places, Santana Row has a very similar looking floor pattern to Diagon Alley. A difference would, of course, be that Diagon Alley sells magical items and Santana Row does not. Also, Santana Row has roads for cars to travel, but Diagon Alley does not.
    A conflict that Harry faces is the Ravenclaws talking about him and thinking he is the one causing the attacks on Hogwarts students. This is similar to when someone stole an artifact from a presentation at my friend's school and a few people in her class thought it was her who stole it. She told me that they were huddled up at recess talking about how she really liked that artifact and that she should just give it back already. However, Harry's conflict is different because he confronted the Ravenclaws in the library, but my friend didn't say anything to the people who thought she was the one who stole it.
    An issue raised in this book that has also been raised in real life is Malfoy being borderline racist. He uses offensive words to describe people he thinks are below him and he thinks pure-bloods are above everyone else. Bullying happens a lot in schools and and race discrimination is a big issue in this country.People of color are sometimes treated differently than white people in restaurants or stores.
 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(Round 3)

     The book I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling. I am 194 pages into the book. So far, it is about Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione trying to prove that Draco Malfoy is the one that has opened the chamber of secrets and is attacking students. I am reading this new book because I finished the previous book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I picked this book because I really liked the first book in the series and I wanted to continue it.
    A character I would like to interview is Gilderoy Lockhart. I would ask him what his favorite place he's traveled is because he talks about a lot of his adventures throughout the book. I would also ask him what his most dangerous encounter with a dark creature was because he teaches defense against the dark arts. Another question I would ask is why he tried to fix Harry's arm himself instead of sending him to the hospital wing. He could have done some serious damage.
    If Harry Potter was a girl instead of a boy, the story would change a lot. Obviously, her name would be different, probably Harriet. She would resemble her mother, Lily Potter, more. As a result of this, Snape would probably be nicer to, and maybe even overprotective of Harriet because he detested James Potter but didn't particularly hate Lily. He might have also been more neutral towards Gryffindor.
    If the story took place in 2019, things would be very different. First, Hogwarts students wouldn't be using owls for communication as much. They would probably be texting with their phones. Also, it would be hard to keep the secret of Hogwarts because students would be posting pictures of their time at Hogwarts to social media. Additionally, Harry wouldn't have had trouble finding Hermione and Ron after getting out of the hospital wing because he could have just texted them.
    Harry Potter just made the decision to step out of hiding in the library and defend himself against the Hufflepuffs, who wrongly suspect he is evil because they have misinterpreted several situations. The advice I would give Harry is to not say anything to the Hufflepuffs and try to keep going because he knows that he is innocent. I would tell him that he will be proved innocent eventually, but it will take time for people to figure it out.
    If I could, I would jump into the story when Harry is having his first early morning Quidditch match and Malfoy calls Hermione a mudblood. I would be watching from the spectator stands, with nobody noticing me. I would do a spell on Malfoy so that he gets what he deserves for calling Hermione. The story might change because Ron wouldn't have started spitting slugs and Malfoy would be a little less cocky.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone(Round 2)

    The book that I am writing about this week is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J. K. Rowling. I just finished the book. It is about Harry Potter and his friends Hermione and Ron at Hogwarts. They are trying to figure out out how to get to the Sorcerer's Stone, which can make people immortal, before Snape, who they suspect is working with Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed Harry's parents. However, what they believed was far from the truth...

    Two characters in my novel are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They became friends because they met each other at the train station before leaving for Hogwarts, not knowing anyone there. On the train, Ron was surprised at first that he was actually the famous Harry Potter and they started talking from there. At Hogwarts, they were both placed in the same house, Gryffindor, giving them a chance to bond even more. I know they are true friends because when Harry was about to go off and stop Snape from getting the sorcerer's stone, Ron wouldn't let Harry go alone.

    The point of view of the story is in third person, told by a narrator. The narrator is descriptive and uses foreshadowing.The narrator is also really good at telling us how Harry feels, while still acting like a narrator.

    A main location of the story is Hogwarts. Most of the book takes place here. It is important to the story because this is where Harry learns to be a wizard, which is the main plot of the story. The entire middle part of the book is about Harry and his friends' adventures at Hogwarts. The main conflict of the book, finding the sorcerer's stone before Snape, also happens at Hogwarts.

    An obstacle that Harry faces is being thrown off his broom by Snape(or at least that's what he thinks). This impacts how he thinks going forward because Harry, Ron, and Hermione start to think he's evil and that he wants the Sorcerer's Stone. This causes them all to be wary around Snape. Harry even goes into the chamber where the Sorcerer's stone is hidden to get it before Snape, but he finds Quirrell instead.

    The part where Harry learns to play Quidditch is memorable to me. I liked this part of the book because Harry finally gets to do something he loves, which he didn't get to do at the Dursley house. Also, the way the author describes the Quidditch match makes it interesting and fast-paced. Also, this is the part where Hermione, Harry, and Ron think that Snape is trying to sabotage Harry, which made me want to read more to see them confront Snape.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone(Round 1)

    This week, I am writing about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling. It is about a boy who has a miserable life living with his aunt, uncle, and son. Then, one day he gets a letter and finds out he is a wizard, and has been invited to Hogwarts, a wizarding school. So far, I have read about 200 pages, but for this week, I will talk about the first 60 pages. I chose this book because it is a very popular series and I've heard a lot of good things about it from my friends and family. Also, I've watched the movies and they made me want to read the books. I will definitely continue to read this book and finish it.
    The main character in my book is Harry Potter(obviously). He lives with his aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon, and their son Dudley. This is because his parents were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort when he was just a baby. However, until Hagrid tells him this, he had been told that his parents in a car crash. He is small, skinny, and has a scar shaped like lightning on his forehead, which he got from Voldemort. Strange things seem to happen around Harry, like his hair growing back really fast and being found on the roof suddenly.
    So far, there is no real antagonist in the story. However, you could say that the Dursley family are the antagonists because they hate him and never give him anything. He only gets Dudley's old clothes and things, and he never gets gifts for his birthday, while Dudley gets 30. They don't like him because his parents were wizard and because strange things always happen around him. Dudley and his friends are always trying to beat him up.
    One significant setting in the story is the Dursley house. It is on 4 Privet Drive. This is where Harry has lived since after his parents died. Inside the house, Harry lives in the cupboard under the stairs, which is very tiny and barely fits him and his bed. Another significant setting is in a little shack on a rock out at sea. The inside is smelly, cold, and broken down. It has dirty windows and moldy, moth-eaten furniture. This is where Harry meets Hagrid, who tells Harry that he is a wizard.
    A conflict that Harry faces at the beginning of the book is getting lots of letters addressed to him that seem to be from no one. Uncle Vernon gets angrier and angrier and angrier at Harry because of these letters. Whoever sends these letters seems to know exactly where in the house Harry lives, driving Uncle Vernon crazy. He keeps telling Harry to move to different places in the house, but the letters keep coming and the number of letters keeps increasing. Finally, when Hagrid, the keeper of the keys at Hogwarts, a wizarding school, visits Harry on his birthday, he finds out that the letter is actually an invitation to Hogwarts for him.
    The parts of the book that I liked was when the letters kept coming to the Dursleys' house. It was funny how Uncle Vernon kept getting mad and making Harry move. It kept me entertained, wondering how many letters would come next. The whole time, I kept wondering what was in the letter and who it was coming from.

Alpha Omega, Beginning and End

    The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet are Alpha and Omega. They are the beginning and end. These two letters, to me, hold great power. I am hoping this blog will live up to the name of Alpha Omega.
    Now, a little bit about this blog. I've always enjoyed reading, and I think this blog will be a good opportunity to share my thoughts about some of the books I read. I hope to read more books this year, and read them more thoughtfully. Currently, I am reading Harry Potter for the first time, so stay tuned for that post :)

"Alpha Omega, beginning and end"